On Episode 18, Amy Van Hoose discusses the NWEA MAP test with 3rd grade SJES teacher, Heather Seger, and 3rd grade SCE teacher Ashley Schrage. The NWEA MAP test (Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress) is given to students in 2nd through 8th grade to see what students know, help teachers inform instruction, individualize instruction, and monitor growth. It is unlike standardized tests because it is adaptive, questions get easier and harder in order to pinpoint a child’s proficiency and growth in several categories and subcategories. While this test is very valuable for teachers, it can also be a helpful tool for parents too.

In episode 17, Amy Van Hoose talks to St. Jacob Elementary Teachers Kelly Jewell and Callie Moore about the IXL program that is used in Triad’s K-8 classrooms. The great news is that IXL can also be used at home. IXL is a K-12 learning experience that provides comprehensive, standards-aligned content for math and language arts. Triad provides access for students in grades K-8. IXL has been in the district for several years, but is increasing in popularity with teachers each year as we increase the number of chromebooks in the district. We are now 1:1 with devices in grades 2-12 and 1st grade has several chromebooks, tablets, and desktops to use in the room. Because IXL can go wherever students go, the learning doesn’t have to stop once they leave the classroom! You can help keep IXL momentum going at home. Through your child’s account, you can check in on their students’ progress, support their growth, and keep them motivated to use IXL at home.

In Episode 16, Mike, Adam, and Amy sit down with District Superintendent, Leigh Lewis, to share the new and exciting things happening in Triad as we begin the 18-19 school year! Topics discussed include enrollment, curriculum, staff, the Success Center, technology, the 1:1 initiative, Google Certified Educators, Twitter, and current events.

In Episode 15, Mike, Adam, and Amy share multiple technology resources that students can tap into during their summer vacation. Many of these resources are free and allow the learning and exploration to continue into the summer months when inevitably sometime around May 24th, parents will hear the words “I’m bored” for the first time. Encourage your children to stay engaged in learning while enjoying their time off. We look forward to seeing them back in August!

In April 2018, four Triad High School seniors traveled with Career and Technical Education teacher Andy Brendel to Washington D.C. to compete in the SourceAmerica Design Challenge. They built a product that helps a local worker with a disability perform her job with more ease and accuracy. After designing and building their product and producing an entry video, their team was chosen as one of five finalists to present their ideas and results to a panel of professional engineers and industry leaders. They brought home second place and experiences to last a lifetime. In Episode 14, Adam sits down with the four team members to talk about this project.

In Episode 13, district technology coach, Adam Geisen, talks to THS guidance counselors Katie Brendel and Heidi Houchins about the “how-to’s” of college admissions. Planning for college is not an easy task. Students should prep for college throughout high school, but for rising seniors the timeline seems to go very fast. Applying to college can be stressful, but proper planning can help alleviate some of the pressure on students and their families.

Is your child ready for kindergarten? It is often a child’s first experience in an academic setting and sometimes parents wonder whether their children are ready for both the academics and the social interactions in a kindergarten classroom. In Episode 12, Amy Van Hoose and Abby Bradshaw share some ideas about areas parents can work on this summer to help prepare kids for kindergarten.

Many students begin the college prep process early by taking the PSAT as a freshman and sophomore and then taking the SAT and maybe ACT as a junior. As a parent, many questions may come to mind when you start to look at the test like:

What is the PSAT?

Do colleges prefer scores from the SAT or ACT?

Is one test easier than the other?

Should my child take both tests?

In Episode 11, Amy Van Hoose, Katie Brendel, and Heidi Houchins discuss the difference between the two tests and help parents and students understand how colleges use the tests.

In Episode 8 of ATBR Amy Van Hoose talks to Peyton Freschi about how students comprehend what they read. They discuss skills taught in class and how parents can help at home. Comprehension is a broad topic and we have included some of the basics in this episode. Look for more detailed information for specific skills in future podcasts.

Once teachers earn a bachelor’s degree and teaching certification they are done learning, right? Not quite. In the state of Illinois, when teachers receive their teaching certificate, they are required to attend and track continuing professional development in order to renew their certificate. Certificates are renewed on a 5 year cycle and teachers must enter at least 120 CPDU’s (Continuing Professional Development Units) which equates to 120 hours of professional development per every 5 year certificate cycle. In Episode 7 of “After The Bell Rings”, Adam and Mike talk about their new Personalized Professional Development program, called #TRIADvances, that puts a new spin on how teachers at Triad earn CPDU’s. This new and exciting program has taken off and allowed teachers to explore new and exciting technology-infused lessons on their own time. Adam and Mike have had the pleasure of presenting their #TRIADvances program at multiple local and statewide conferences and are excited to present it at METC Conference (St. Louis) and ICE Conference (Chicago) during the month of February 2018.

How many times have you picked your child up from school or the bus stop and asked “How was your day?” only to be met with “good” or “fine”. Then you follow up with “What did you do today?” only to, once again, be met with a vague answer like “nothing”. Why do kids do that? Why are they reluctant to talk to us about their day even though, as parents, we want to hear and talk about their experiences? In episode 6, Amy Van Hoose and 2nd grade teachers Kate Knolhoff and Emily Lovelace share questioning strategies to help get your kids to open up and what to do with the information they give you.

Mike Wielgus & Adam Geisen host their first “After The Bell Rings Podcast” in Episode 5 as they explore all things technology at Triad. They discuss their roles as instructional technology coaches, devices that students and teachers use, and introduce two segments that they will highlight in each “techy” episode called “Take Home Tech” & “Techy Teacher Time”.

In this Episode of “After The Bell Rings”, Tricia Aukamp, School Psychologist from Silver Creek Elementary and Marine Elementary, joins Amy Van Hoose to discuss the I.E.P. (Individualized Education Process). In the episode they will review what exactly an I.E.P. is, how students qualify, and what to expect through the process.